


Change My Heart

by Lola_Tenshi



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 18:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4635054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lola_Tenshi/pseuds/Lola_Tenshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seulgi has always been content dedicating her life to defending the Queen. That is, until she meets traveling scholar Bae Joohyun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change My Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Измени моё сердце](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8044072) by [lieutenant_cloud](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lieutenant_cloud/pseuds/lieutenant_cloud)



> Originally written for the 2015 Red Velvet Exchange over on livejournal. Hope you enjoy! :)

Breath in, small step to the left, breath out. Gaze focused unwaveringly on eyes staring back at her, watching. Waiting.

Seulgi relaxes her grip on the lightweight blade just a fraction, body tense and ready to spring when her opponent moves. They’ve been at it for half an hour, not an especially long time, but feeling so at the moment due to the late spring sun beating down on them. With sweat dripping down the back of her neck, Seulgi forces herself to focus, eyes never leaving her opponent.

They’ve been at a stalemate for no more than two minutes, though it feels much longer to Seulgi’s tired but tense muscles. It’s only a matter of time before the next move is made, and Seulgi’s hoping to end what’s going on then.

Two seconds later, Seulgi catches her opponents eyes darting down and to the right for a fleeting moment. It isn’t much, but enough for Seulgi to react just in time.

Tightening her grip on the hilt, Seulgi drops her arms and swings her sword to catch the face of her opponents blade before it can smack into the side of her calf. Without giving the other swordsperson a chance to respond, she quickly arches her sword upwards while twisting her arms to weaken her opponents hold. It’s enough that, once Seulgi pulls her own sword away, she is able to kick the blade free and slide it out of reaching distance.

Across from her, her opponent is cursing quietly, shaking their hands out. Seulgi’s victory is short lived before her battalion’s commander steps forward, quickly reminding her that the previous spar was a demonstration for their newest batch of soldiers.

Lieutenant Colonel Jung Soojung is an intimidating sight when playing up to her rank, but Seulgi has the advantage of growing up with her and knowing better.

“And that’s why it’s important to watch your opponent’s eyes,” Soojung instructs. “That’s where you learn their next move and how to plan accordingly. Your Sergeants and Lieutenants will be watching during tomorrow’s training, don’t disappoint them.”

While Soojung goes on about tomorrow’s training, Seulgi tunes it out in favor of catching her breath after taking her practice helmet off. Besides her Seungwon, a fellow lieutenant and her sparring partner, is doing the same. They both stand quietly, waiting to be dismissed, and look out at the crowd of trainees. The both of them would be busy tomorrow during training, and Seulgi isn’t looking forward to how early she is going to have to get up.

“Alright, that’s it for today. You’re dismissed!” Soojung calls out, gaining Seulgi’s attention.

The trainees all salute towards their commanding officers before taking off, chatting excitedly about their upcoming training. It reminds Seulgi of her own early days in the army, when the excitement of training kept her awake late at night until grueling practices had her practically passing out before her head could touch her pillow.

It’s been awhile since she’s been that excited, years of training and enduring shifts of guarding the castle taking her down a few pegs. When you’re duty is to protect a country run by a Queen without a King, it doesn’t take much to bring on a startling sense of reality, and Seulgi’s seen her own fair shares of assassination attempts. Not everyone agrees that women are capable of ruling, which Seulgi thinks is ridiculous.

“Lieutenant Kang, stay behind for a moment,” Soojung speaks, startling Seulgi.

“Yes, Ma’am!” she calls back.

“Relax Seulgi, you’re not in trouble,” Soojung laughs, slipping out of her role as Lieutenant Colonel. “I just need to speak with you about something.”

“Sorry, it’s a habit,” Seulgi chuckled, waving Seungwon over. “What did you need to talk about?”

“You’re heard that Lieutenant Colonel Park is being promoted, right?”

Of course she’d heard, at this point Seulgi is convinced that everyone has. Despite not being part of Park Sunyoung’s unit, the news had still trickled to Seulgi. At the time she thought nothing of it, ranked officers were periodically promoted, so it wasn’t anything strange.

“Well, the higher ups have decided to promote Joonmyun into her spot, even though they haven’t made the official announcement, which would leave your company without a Captain,” Soojung continues.

Seulgi can feel her stomach give a lurch, and has to fight back both feelings of excitement and dread. There can only be so many reasons why Soojung is telling her this before the official announcement.

“I’ve nominated you to fill his spot,” Soojung grins. “After the announcement about Joonmyun is made, you’ll be evaluated by a group of higher ups to determine your potential for the position.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?! You should be more excited!” Seungwon grins from next to her, shaking her shoulder roughly. “This is a great opportunity! Haven’t you been wanting to climb the ranks?”

“I, yeah, of course,” Seulgi manages to say. Perhaps it was shock, but all of a sudden she finds herself without words.

“I- I mean, thank you Soojung. I’m just surprised. I didn’t think it would happen so soon.”

Soojung rolls her eyes, “I wouldn’t have recommended you if I felt you weren’t ready. Remember, I’ve been a Captain before so I know what the rank means. You’ll do fine.

“Now, you two need to go and clean up. Take off your training gear and go visit a bathhouse, you smell awful.” Soojung wrinkles her nose dramatically, and then winks at the two before walking away.

“Well, you heard her, a trip to the bathhouse it is!” Seungwon calls happily.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A week later finds Seulgi making the same trip to the bathhouses, except this time it’s not because of training. Instead she is preparing for a party put together to celebrate Joonmyun’s official promotion, a mandatory get-together for all ranked officers, herself included.

It also marks the start of her evaluation period, meaning that a lot of eyes are going to be focused on her. She is already hearing rumors of her own promotion, and had struggled during the week to refrain from commenting on them.

Attending the party to begin with is bad enough, and not something Seulgi usually enjoys, but knowing she would be under extra scrutiny make the whole situation even more undesirable.

“Please, just leave me alone.”

A quiet, but upset, voice breaks through Seulgi’s thoughts. She looks around, searching for who had spoken up, and nearly snarls at what she sees.

Near the entrance of a bookshop is a small crowd of four men, all of whom are surrounding a young woman. She has clearly just stepped out of the shop, arms full of heavy tomes. Seulgi takes a moment to note her long black hair that cascades down her back freely, to dark brown eyes. She is sure she hasn’t seen this woman before, with her slim figure and lips thin in anger.

Seulgi feels angry herself when she notices that two of the four men are soldiers under her command.

“Hey! What’s going on here?” She calls loudly, startling the five of them.

The two soldiers she recognizes pale, and all four step away from the woman to salute at her.

“Lieutenant Kang,” one greets her, “we were just trying to offer our help.”

“Well that’s not what it looked like to me, she clearly asked to be left alone. I don’t want to see you harassing any of the civilians again, now get out of my sight!” she barks.

Seulgi feels a sense of amusement when all four scramble to obey, leaving as quickly as possible now that they’ve been dismissed.

The woman, who had been silent throughout the exchange, is now looking at her with a small smile.

“Are you alright?” Seulgi asks.

“I am now, thank you,” she speaks, just as quietly as before. “I don’t think I would have gotten them to listen to me.”

Seulgi smiles, “Well, they probably only listened to me because I’m their ranking officer.”

“Well, either way, I’m still thankful.” The woman is still smiling gratefully, an infectious smile that keeps the smile on Seulgi’s face. 

“Alright then, I should be on my way. Are you all set?”

The woman nods, “I’m staying at the inn just over there,” she motions with her head to a building down the road, “so I think I’ll be fine.”

“Ah, I didn’t think you were from around here,” Seulgi muses to herself, a little too loudly.

“No, I’m visiting while I research.”

“Good luck with your research, and I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

“Thank you,” the woman nods her head again then takes off for the inn.

Seulgi watches her for a moment, until she is almost to her destination, then turns around to continue her own journey to the bathhouses. Conscious of the fact she is going to have to rush through washing up if she wanted to make it to the celebration on time, Seulgi tries banishing the woman from her thoughts. However, like many things, it is easier said than done.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“No need to look so sour,” Seungwon smiles, elbowing Seulgi in the side. “It’s not like this is your party.”

“No, it’s not my party. That doesn’t seem to stop people from staring at me,” Seulgi bites back, feeling uncomfortable with the attention she’s receiving. No matter where she goes, the back of her neck tingles uncomfortably, signaling watchful eyes. 

Seungwon snorts, “They’re just curious and want to know who Soojung recommended for the Captain’s position. I can’t blame them either, the rumours started spreading a full week before the official announcement for Lieutenant Colonel Kim.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be talking about me, would you?” a cheerful voice speaks from behind Seungwon, startling her enough to jump.

“Lieutenant Colonel,” Seulgi grins, not bothering to hide the amused grin stretching across her face as she salutes to him. “This party does happen to be in your honor, I imagine most people are talking about you.”

“That they are,” Joonmyun looks around the room quickly before returning his gaze to Seulgi. “But I’m not the only one they’re talking about.”

Seulgi grimaces. “Please don’t remind me. The official announcement hasn’t even been made yet, and I’m already the center of gossip.”

“Well, it’s only going to get worse,” Joonmyun looks at her empathetically.

Seulgi figures that Joonmyun is similar to herself, in that he doesn’t enjoy public speculations about himself happening behind his back. Unfortunately it’s unavoidable for those looking to climb the ranks.

“I have to admit,” Joonmyun continues, “I was a little surprised to hear you were Soojung’s choice to replace me. I still remember when you were new to the army.”

“Feeling nostalgic for when you first joined the ranked positions, sir?” Seungwon jokes. It’s a daring thing to say to a commanding officer, but Joonmyun has always been friendly with those under his command. Seulgi can still remember when he was her Sergeant, going out of his way to help all the new soldiers adapt. In some ways, Seulgi thinks her own practices as a commanding officer are influenced by how he took care of her.

Joonmyun chuckles, “You can laugh about it now, Seungwon, but you probably won’t once you start working your way up the ranks and you’re the one in the spotlight.” 

“I’ll deal with that when it comes, for now I’ll enjoy watching Seulgi squirm.” Seungwon winks at Seulgi.

“Thanks,” Seulgi deadpans, “That makes me feel so good about myself.”

“Just think of it this way,” a new voice interrupts. “When Seungwon is promoted, it’ll be your turn to enjoy her misery.”

Seulgi shares a grin with Soojung, her commanding officer joining the small group along with newly appointed Colonel Park Sunyoung.

“You two,” Sunyoung rolls her eyes. “It’s not as bad as you say.The glances and whispers will go away after awhile, you just have to learn how to ignore it. What you should be worried about most is the demonstration, Seulgi. You never know how high up the ranks you’re evaluators will be.”

“But like I said last week, you’ll do fine,” Soojung speaks up louder than necessary, shooting Sunyoung a warning glance. “I think you’re ready for the position, so there’s no need to worry.”

“And yet, she’ll still use this as an excuse to train for longer hours until the decision has been made.” Seungwon pats Seulgi’s shoulder fondly.

Joonmyun nods his head approvingly. “That’s not a bad thing right before you’re being evaluated for a promotion, then afterwards she can go back to her normal training routine.”

Seungwon whines, “Except training is already the only thing she does! Do you know how hard it is to convince her that she can do something else? I practically have to drag her away if I want to hang out!”

“You’re one to talk!” Seulgi shoots back, feeling her face heat up under the amused stares from the higher ranked officers. “You train just as often as I do some days.”

“Yes, some days,” Seungwon says sternly. “Meaning not every day, because I know how to have fun outside of training. It’s good to do something relaxing every once in a while.”

“Fine then,” Seulgi caves, “After this promotion process is over, we can go out and celebrate, happy?”

Seungwon jumps excitedly, drawing the attention of those nearby. She draped herself over Seulgi’s shoulders, not bothered by the stares. “Yes!”

“You realize you’ll only be celebrating if you get the position, right?” Soojung grins.

“You’re the one telling me not to worry, and that I’m ready,” Seulgi shoots back with a grin of her own. “I think I’ll be all set.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Just as Soojung had predicted, Seulgi impressed the panel evaluating her with ease, each of the higher ups in agreement with her being ready for the role of Captain. Which is why she currently finds herself being dragged by the hand down a busy street, going who knows where.

“Where are you taking me? Why don’t we go to the same place as last time?” Seulgi groans, staring quizzically at Seungwon’s back.

“Nope,” the other woman answers cheerily. “It’s been awhile since we’ve hung out like this, and I have a new pub that I think you’ll like. Sooyoung and I discovered it about a month ago, and they serve really good food.”

Snorting, Seulgi responds, “And beer I’m sure.” She narrows her eyes thoughtfully, “You wouldn’t happen to be talking about the Sooyoung under my command, would you?”

Seungwon smiles at her over her shoulder, “Maybe. There aren’t any rules that say I can’t hang out with her. Besides, she’s hilarious once you get to know her.”

Before Seulgi can respond, Seungwon exclaims excitedly and drags her sharply to the right and through an entranceway. Seulgi immediately takes a quick glance of the room, noticing the dim lighting and packed tables. It’s loud, conversations practically shouted at each other as patrons compete to be heard, and smells like a kitchen collided with the entrance of a bathhouse.

“I don’t see where we’re going to find a table, they all look taken.”

“Then we’ll have to stand by the bar and wait for a table,” Seungwon comments, starting to pull Seulgi along.

They don’t make it far before Seulgi sees a familiar face, sitting alone at a table with a bowl of stew and a thick book laying open. Despite the lighting, she can still tell that it’s the woman whom she helped out from the bookstore. Her head is tilted down as she reads, glossy black hair falling around gently to obscure her face.

“Hold on, Seungwon,” Seulgi says distractedly, tugging at the grip on her wrist. “I think I may have found a table.”

She navigates through the masses of people, quickly apologizing whenever she hits someone with an elbow, until she finally makes it to her destination. When she arrives, the other woman doesn’t look up or give any other sign that she’s noticed Seulgi’s arrival, leaving Seulgi to announce herself.

Seulgi starts by clearing her throat, hoping to catch the other’s attention without startling her too bad. When that doesn’t work, she speaks up. “Um, hello?”

The woman jerks, head shooting up to reveal wide eyes that eventually crinkle in a smile. She’s very pretty, something Seulgi hadn’t really noticed during their first encounter, with pale skin and a small nose.

“Hello,” she greets, talking louder than Seulgi remembers from their first meeting. “Lieutenant Kang, was it?”

Seulgi fights back the feeling of surprise that she remembers her name when they hadn’t really introduced themselves. Like earlier, Seungwon beats her to a response.

“Actually,” her friend speaks up, reminding Seulgi of her presence, “it’s Captain Kang, now. She’s freshly promoted today!”

“Seungwon,” Seulgi hisses, elbowing the other in her side. She feels her face flush in embarrassment. “But you can call me Seulgi, there’s no need for formalities when I’m off duty.”

The woman nods their head, “It’s nice to see you again, Seulgi,” she speaks slowly, as if she is testing out Seulgi’s name. “Thank you again for helping me out the other day, I’m Bae Joohyun.”

Joohyun looks around, eyeing the full tables thoughtfully. “Were you looking for someplace to sit? You’re welcome to join me.”

“If you’re alright with that, I think we will,” Seulgi smiles. “We won’t be interrupting your reading?”

“A break from reading will do me some good.” Joohyun’s lips quirk up briefly. “Besides, I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”

“In that case, I think we will,” Seungwon answers, pushing Seulgi towards the table. “Go ahead and sit down, I’ll go and see about getting us something to eat.” She winks, walking away.

Taking a seat across from Joohyun, she watches as the other closes her book and moves it into a satchel by her side.

“Seungwon said you were promoted today, is that why you’re out? Celebrating?” Joohyun asks, head tilted as she stares inquisitively at Seulgi.

Seulgi can feel her cheeks grow warm from the attention, “Yeah, after all the training I put in getting ready for the promotion, she figured I needed to do something else.”

Joohyun nods her head. “It’s good to take a break every now and then, you don’t want to wear yourself out.”

“Do you ever give yourself a break?” the words leave Seulgi’s mouth before she had time to stop herself, her eyes drifting to the satchel that Joohyun placed her book in. “Was that book you were reading part of your research?”

“It is.” Joohyun smiles wryly. “But I’m in my own intensive training now, much like you when you were getting ready for your promotion.”

“Oh?”

“I’m an assistant for a professor while I finish up research for my thesis,” she answers, surprising Seulgi. “I’ll be presenting in front of a panel in a couple of months, and if my work is approved I’ll can be a professor myself if I want.”

It’s hard for Seulgi to imagine, knowing someone who is about to be qualified to be a professor. Academia was never a strong point for her despite her mother’s efforts, one of many reasons she decided to join the army.

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Seulgi didn’t bother hiding the awe out of her voice, enjoying how Joohyun’s face flushed under the compliment. “Do you want to be a professor? Is there anything else you could do instead?”

“I could continue to do field research like I am now, and publish essays,” Joohyun shrugs. “But I would like to teach eventually.”

“It’s nice knowing what you want to do, and having a backup plan if it doesn’t work out. I’m not sure what I would have done if the army hadn’t worked out.” Probably gotten married and started a family, Seulgi thinks distastefully.

“I’m sure you would have found something else. But that’s not something you need to worry about, because it did work out for you in the end.”

“What worked out?” Seungwon interrupts, finally returning from finding them food with two bowls in her hands. “I find it hard to believe this workaholic managed to work anything out.” She playfully shoves Seulgi on the shoulder, taking a seat next to her.

“What is that suppose to mean?” Seulgi shoots back, ignoring the way Joohyun is chuckling behind her hand. “We were talking about how the army worked out for me.”

“Oh, that.” Seungwon looks at her judgmentally. “I suppose you can say that. I personally think it’s made you a workaholic.”

“Only when I need to be!” Seulgi defends, wincing when her voices starts to become shrill. She’s not sure why she’s suddenly feeling defensive, especially when she’s used to Seungwon’s playful antics. “I had to make sure I was ready to go in front of the panel!”

Seungwon studies her for a moment, expression unreadable, then her lips slowly tilt up into a knowing grin. “Alright then, if you say so.”

“As entertaining as this is,” Joohyun says, looking back and forth between the two. “I need to get back to my research, so I’ll be going.”

“Research?” Seungwon asks, looking curious. “What are you researching?”

“Regional differences in literature,” Joohyun shrugs. “Most people think it’s boring, but I think it’s fascinating.”

“But you like it, so that’s cool,” Seulgi says quickly, instantly regretting it when Seungwon looks at her amusedly.

“Thank you,” Joohyun smiles. “Enjoy your dinner.”

She grabs her satchel and leaves with a wave, Seulgi and Seungwon quickly losing sight of her in the crowd.

“So,” Seungwon speaks slowly, watching Seulgi as she moves seats to the opposite side of the table. “Joohyun, huh?”

“Not another word,” Seulgi threatens, picking up her spoon and pointing it at her friend.

Seungwon shrugs in exaggerated innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Good, keep it that way.”

“Am I at least allowed to ask some questions? Is she even from around here? I don’t think I’ve noticed her before.”

Seulgi shakes her head. “No, she’s visiting for research. She said she was a professor’s assistant.

“Then she’s going to be leaving?”

With a sinking feeling, Seulgi realizes that Seungwon’s right. At some point, probably soon, Joohyun is going to leave for someplace Seulgi doesn’t know. It’s more upsetting than it should be, and Seulgi shuts away the feeling for later.

“I guess,” she admits. “Can we talk about something else now? Or, better yet, can we finally eat?”

Seungwon now looks concerned. “Fine, but be careful, okay?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Seulgi responds, parroting what her friend had said earlier. Her stomach lurches uncomfortably with the first bite of her stew, and it’s with resignation that Seulgi realizes she’s lost her appetite.

Still, she keeps eating. Maybe if she can convince Seungwon that everything’s alright, she can do the same for herself.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sweat drips from her hairline, narrowly missing her eye as Seulgi navigates the crowded marketplace with Sooyoung at her side. It’s hot, as summer air starts to creep in, and being amongst so many people is only making it worse. However, she had promised Sooyoung she would visit the stands with her, needing some supplies of her own.

“Wow, Captain, it’s really hot today!” Sooyoung whines, trying to use her hand to fan her face.

“Get used to it, it’s only going to get worse.”

Seulgi can still remember her first summer as a soldier, completing her duties in full uniform. She’s adapted to the heat, and while still uncomfortable, can go about without complaining. Well, too much.

“And we’re off duty, so you don’t need to call me Captain!”

“But you were just promoted, don’t you like being called captain?” Sooyoung protests.

“When I’m on duty, sure. It’s weird when you say it now.”

It’s only been a couple of days since her promotion and celebration with Seungwon, and the reality of her new position is still sinking in. A few of the soldiers under her still accidently call her Lieutenant.

“Seungwon said that this is the best way to remember to use your new title, and it’s fun calling you Captain.”

Seulgi groans, “I think you need to be more selective when listening to Seungwon’s advice.”

Sooyoung laughs, “You just don’t like Seungwon and I hanging out when you can’t listen to what we’re saying. Always afraid we’re talking about you.”

“Because you always are talking about me!” Seulgi splutters.

“Well, it’s Seungwon’s way of showing she cares,” Sooyoung smiles. “She told me about Joohyun.”

Seulgi stops walking in surprise. “Seungwon just met Joohyun a couple nights ago, when did you two have time to talk about her?”

“I ran into her when she was patrolling last night,” Sooyoung answers with a shrug. “She said Joohyun was really pretty, as if she had walked out of a painting! But Seungwon also said that she’s going to be leaving.”

The reminder has the sinking feeling return to Seulgi’s stomach faster than she’s prepared for. She spent the past few days since the pub purposely not thinking of Joohyun and her eventual departure. It’s surprising that Seungwon talked about it to Sooyoung, making Seulgi realize that her friend is much more concerned than she initially let on.

“I’ll be fine. Joohyun and I get along, but it’s nothing that anyone needs to worry about. I don’t understand why you and Seungwon seem to think I’m going to fall to pieces when Joohyun leaves.”

“Seungwon said you seemed to really like her, which is okay. Especially if she’s as pretty as Seungwon implied!”

“Seungwon has very strong opinions, especially when it comes to her friends” a voice speaks from besides Seulgi, causing her to jump in surprise.

Soojung stares at her, clearly fighting back laughter. “What has you so jumpy?”

“I don’t know,” Seulgi says sarcastically. “Maybe it has something to do with people sneaking up on me when I’m off duty.”

“You should probably do something about that,” Soojung jokes. “Practice not being jumpy when people sneak up on you, even when you’re off duty.”

“I’ll do that,” Seulgi responds dryly.

“What were you two even talking about?”

“Joohyun!” Sooyoung practically yells, immediately ducking bashfully when it garners her stares from those around her and a glare from Seulgi. She repeats herself, quieter this time. “Joohyun, someone who’s visiting that has apparently been of great interest to Seulgi.”

“According to Seungwon,” Seulgi adds on. “I never said anything about being interested in Joohyun.”

“You probably didn’t have to, Seungwon has her own way of knowing.” Sooyoung nods.

Seulgi squints at Sooyoung, turning her lips down in a mocking pout. “You need to cool off this hero worship you have going on for Seungwon. She’s not your superior, I am.”

“Yeah, well Seungwon’s more likely to spend time with me off duty,” Sooyoung sniffs. “Workaholic.”

“That’s the second person I’ve heard call you a workaholic,” an amused voice speaks from behind Seulgi, causing her to freeze. “It must be true if I’ve heard it in two of our three encounters.”

Seulgi doesn’t have to turn around to know it’s Joohyun, and she curses her bad luck while pasting a smile on her face. She hopes it looks more like a smile and not a grimace.

“Hello, Captain Kang,” Joohyun grins, eyes traveling curiously from Seulgi to Sooyoung and Soojung.

“Joohyun,” Seulgi greats back, trying not to cringe when she hears Sooyoung make an excited noise.

“Oh, you’re Joohyun?” she asks, edging closer to the woman in question. “I’m Sooyoung, Seungwon told me that you’re visiting for research!”

“Did she? Seungwon was the one to tell you, not Seulgi?” Joohyun questions with clear amusement on her face.

While Sooyoung answers, Seulgi becomes distracted by the way Joohyun’s nose twitches as she laughs, eyes crinkling pleasantly. She feels her stomach swoop a little when Joohyun lifts a hand to tuck hair behind her ear, her hand traveling along the long black strands to smooth them down. It’s only when Joohyun catches Seulgi’s gaze that she looks away, hoping her cheeks aren’t too red.

She comes back to the conversation in time to hear Soojung to say, “to become a professor, the university here has a good reputation.”

“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about,” Joohyun admits. “I’ve already visited the university, and it was very nice.”

“It’s good to keep your options open.” Soojung smiles. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Joohyun, but unfortunately I have places to be.”

“It’s nice meeting you too,” Joohyun bows. “I should be going too, I have a few things to pick up before getting back to my reading.”

Joohyun waves then slips away, much like she had the night at the pub. Seulgi watches as she disappears before a chuckle brings her attention back to the duo standing next to her.

“Wow, Seungwon wasn’t kidding,” Sooyoung laughs. “She is gorgeous, and you do have it bad!”

“Do you have patrol duty tonight?” Seulgi asks Soojung, changing the subject.

Soojung nods, grinning knowingly at the change but allows it. “Which reminds me, you’re going to have night patrol duty coming up soon. I have to check the logs to see exactly when, then I’ll get back to you.”

“Alright,” Seulgi smiles. It’ll be her first night patrol since being promoted, which means it’ll be her first time being in charge of patrol instead of just being a footman.

“Oh, and Seulgi?” Soojung says. “You do have it bad, so be careful.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

If there is one good thing about patrol on particularly cool summer nights, it’s that it doesn’t have her sweating puddles under her armor. Her skin is still a little sweaty around her hairline and where her armor is heaviest, but it’s manageable.

She’s walking down a quiet street, most people either already tucked into bed or having started their night of drinking. It’s her third night patrol in a row, and she’s been put in charge of the streets while her fellow Captain in charge patrols the perimeter of the castle.

Normally she would have fought this, wanting to be as close to the castle as possible in case there was an incident, but not recently. Instead she’s been hoping to catch sight of a certain dark-haired visitor at the start of her patrols. It’s been a fortnight since she saw Joohyun at the marketplace with Sooyoung. Following that she’s only seen her a handful of times, mostly because Joohyun has been around the army’s training ground when Seulgi is there. It’s weird seeing her while on duty and unable to say hello, but there isn’t much she can do about it.

After an hour of wandering around though, she hasn’t seen Joohyun and has long since given up hope. Besides her is a Sergeant under her command, diligently keeping watch for any disturbances that might require their attention. Seulgi realizes it’s a good idea that she’s not by herself, as she hasn’t been able to focus properly.

They go through a deserted side street, listening as the drunken voices behind them become quieter. It doesn’t stay quiet for long.

“Will you just leave me alone! I can reach my destination just fine without any help!”

A sense of deja vu hits Seulgi when she hears this, immediately rushing forward to the side street where the voice is coming from. When she rounds the corner, the Sergeant close on her heels, the feeling becomes stronger. Not only are the two soldiers familiar, so is the woman standing between them, lips pressed so tightly together they’re turning white.

She doesn’t get a chance to say anything before one of the soldiers sees her, swearing and alerting the other two present. Relief quickly smooths out the anger in Joohyun’s face, looking only at Seulgi.

The two soldiers look like they’re going to make a break for it, which won’t do at all.

“Don’t even think about it!” Seulgi shouts, both men freezing. They’re the same two soldiers from the first time, both of whom are under her command. “What did I tell you about harassing civilians!”

“Not to,” one stammers. “But we were only-”

“Save it! I’m not interested in your excuses,” Seulgi snaps, patient gone with these two. “Sergeant, please take these two back to the barracks and get a report started for Lieutenant Colonel Jung, I’ll finish it in the morning after patrols are done.”

“But Liet- I mean Captain!” the other tries, only to be shot a nasty look from Seulgi.

“Go! You’re already in enough trouble as it is, you don’t want to make it worse.”

Both men nod meekly, following behind the Sergeant without a word. As soon as they’re gone, Seulgi turns her attention to Joohyun who is still staring at her in relief.

“Are you alright?” Unintentionally asking the exact same question from their first encounter, pulling a chuckle from Joohyun.

“I am, thank you. I hope this doesn’t become a regular occurrence.”

“I hope not too. Hopefully a month of cleaning out the training barracks by themselves teaches them a lesson.” Thinking of the two men make Seulgi’s blood boil, anger simmering unpleasantly. But now that she’s finally seeing Joohyun again, she pushes it away.

“After how often we were bumping into each other, I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around recently,” Seulgi jokes.

“I’m a little surprised too,” Joohyun admits, smile turning shy. She reaches up and tucks her hair behind her ear in a familiar gesture that Seulgi thinks means she’s nervous. “But I have been busy tying up my research here.”

Joohyun takes a slow step down the road, keeping her body tilted towards Seulgi. Thinking that maybe the other is silently asking her to follow, Seulgi takes a step as well. When Joohyun smiles at her and continues walking, Seulgi follows.

“That’s right, you’re going to be leaving soon, right?” The words leave a bitter taste in Seulgi’s mouth.

Joohyun nods. “In a few days. I finished up what I needed at the university, and now all I have left is to pack my belongings for the journey.”

“How far are you travelling?” They had never talked about where Joohyun was from, but now Seulgi couldn’t help but want to know.

“Not too far, the town I’m from is just a day south of here.”

“It’s not far,” Seulgi agrees, “unless you’re travelling by yourself.”

“I made the journey with a family moving here,” Joohyun explains, smiling at Seulgi. “I had hoped that making the journey back would be easier having gone one way before, even if I am alone.”

Seulgi didn’t like hearing about anyone travelling by themselves, much less hearing it from Joohyun. “You know you can request someone to escort you back, right? That’s what most people do when they don’t have anyone to accompany them.”

“And who exactly would be escorting me? If it’s anyone like either of those soldiers from earlier, than no thank you.” Joohyun scrunches her nose in disgust, which Seulgi finds endearing.

“It would be a foot soldier, but definitely not either of the men from earlier. But what about Sooyoung? Do you remember her from the marketplace?”

Joohyun looks thoughtful for a moment. “The tall enthusiastic one? Who you and Seungwon talked about? She’d be fine. I don’t suppose I’m allowed to request people?” she jokes.

“You may not be able to, but I could,” Seulgi says seriously. “You just have to let me know if you’d want that, and I can set it up.”

By the time Seulgi is finished, Joohyun is watching her speculatively. “Am I allowed to request you?”

Seulgi flushes, stumbling as tries to speak. “Well, I mean, because of my rank I kind of need to stay here.”

“That’s too bad,” Joohyun shrugs, her shoulders brushing against Seulgi’s. While walking, the distance between them had been slowly shrinking, not that Seulgi had noticed, and it was making her feel offbalanced. 

They fall into a comfortable silence after that, Seulgi finally taking notice of what direction they’re going. It’s only when Seulgi notices that this is a path she normally takes when going to the bath house that they’re heading towards the inn Joohyun is staying in. The other woman had probably stayed late at the university or library, and Seulgi could only count herself lucky as to have stumbled upon her.

As they walk through the last side street before entering the busy street Joohyun’s inn is located on, Joohyun stops them.

“Thank you, again. I know I already said it, but I want you to know that I appreciate you helping me out.”

“It’s no problem,” Seulgi answers, feeling embarrassed. “I wasn’t going to stand around and not do anything.”

Joohyun nods to herself, though Seulgi has no idea why.

“It was also nice getting to know you, the few times that we unexpectedly ran into each other. You’re friends too.”

“I can’t say much about my friends,” Seulgi replied, frowning playfully, “but I know I liked getting to know you also.”

Joohyun becomes fidgety after that, as though she has something she wants to do or say but is trying to convince herself first. Seulgi isn’t sure where this conversation is going, and that combined with the other’s restlessness is making her nervous.

“Can I, I mean, is it okay if I do something?” Joohyun stumbles.

“I guess it depends on what you want to do.” Seulgi feels confused. “It doesn’t involve breaking any laws, does it?”

That pulls a giggle from Joohyun who shakes her head. “No, but you can stop me if you want. I just want to do this now in case I don’t see you again before I leave.”

When Seulgi doesn’t say anything after that, Joohyun puts her hands on Seulgi’s shoulders and moves much closer. From this distance, it’s hard for Seulgi to focus on Joohyun’s face, the closer the other gets the more fuzzy her brain becomes. It isn’t until her breath hitches almost painfully in her chest that she realizes she’s holding her breath.

Joohyun lets out a cute little puff of air due to a nervous chuckle when she gets close, and the first brush of their lips has Seulgi tipping forward to press them firmer together. It’s like having her first kiss all over again, and Seulgi feels her lips tingle pleasantly while her toes curl in her boots. When their lips slide together to find a more comfortable position, it’s like little sparks are going off, and where her mind was fuzzy earlier it’s now blank.

It’s Joohyun who pulls away first, despite Seulgi’s protesting whine, and takes a step back to put space in between them. When Seulgi gains the courage to open her eyes, only then noticing that she had shut them to begin with, she immediately picks up on the fact that Joohyun is blinking rapidly, the edges of her eyes starting to turn pink.

She doesn’t have a chance to ask before Joohyun is pulling away even more.

“Bye, Seulgi.”

And just like every other encounter they’ve had, Seulgi watching Joohyun’s back as she walks away. Except this time probably for good.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“You should have seen it!” Sooyoung exclaims, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. “It’s just a cute little town, and the university was small too!”

She’s been restless since returning to the capital the day before, Seulgi thinks wrly, watching as Sooyoung launches into a description of the people she met.

The morning after her kiss with Joohyun, Seulgi had returned to the barracks and immediately put a request in to have Sooyoung escort Joohyun home. Despite Joohyun not asking, Seulgi figured the worst that could happen was Joohyun deciding she didn’t need an escort and sending Sooyoung away.

Sooyoung was back home, now retelling stories from her journey to Seulgi and Seungwon, most of which Seulgi didn’t really want to hear.

While Sooyoung and Joohyun were departing from the capitol, Seulgi was lying in bed trying to sleep after her final night patrol. Instead she was awake, trying not to think about how Joohyun was leaving and how she might not see her again. All of the times people had told her to be careful coming back to haunt her.

Seungwon had eventually come by to visit, taken one look at Seulgi, and dragged her out to a bar for drinks. Perhaps not the smartest idea, considering the massive headache she had during training the next day, but much needed at the time.

Now that Sooyoung is back, with tales of her journey, it is just another reminder of how Joohyun is no longer around.

“If you keep sighing like that, people are going to ask what’s wrong,” Sooyoung says, looking directly at Seulgi. “Which is funny, because Joohyun was doing the same thing the entire journey. That and she looked really sad, like she didn’t really want to leave, which is weird.” Except Sooyoung’s expression suggests that she doesn’t actually find it weird at all.

“Did she now?” Seulgi doesn’t feel up to talking and keeps her response short.

“It’ll be okay, Captain. Things have a way of working themselves out.”

Sooyoung’s advice fell on deaf ears, Seulgi no longer really listening, instead distracted by her thoughts.

“If you say so, Sooyoung. If you say so.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

_(Three Months Later)_

“No more heat!” Sooyoung complains loudly, ignoring the crowds of people around who are just as hot. “When is autumn going to be here? I’m suffocating in my uniform.”

Seulgi bursts out laughing, despite feeling like she is baking in an oven herself. “Soon, Sooyoung, soon. It’s already the end of summer, so air temperatures will start dropping any day now.”

“Soon isn’t soon enough, Captain!” Sooyoung looks at her pitifully.

“Well I can’t do anything about the heat, so I don't know why you’re pouting at me. I can’t control the weather, otherwise it would have cooled off long ago.”

“Trying to control the weather are you?” A familiar voice speaks from behind the two.

Seulgi feels like someone has punched her in the gut, eyes wide as she spins around. Standing there, looking as beautiful as the first she saw her, is Joohyun.

“Uhh.” Seulgi resists the urge to hit herself at the ineloquent sound.

“That’s witchcraft you know,” Joohyun continues to tease, grin widening. “But I suppose I can forgive you, the heat has been terrible recently.”

At some point, Sooyoung slips away unnoticed, leaving Joohyun and Seulgi alone.

“Hey there,” Joohyun says when Seulgi continues to stare at her almost motionlessly.

“Hi.”

One of Joohyun’s brows raise. “We haven’t seen each other in a couple of months, and the only thing you have to say to me is ‘hi’?”

“No! I’m just surprised is all, I didn't think you were coming back,” Seulgi admits.

“Well, here I am,” Joohyun is now looking at her hesitantly.

“Here you are,” Seulgi parrots. “Visiting?”

Joohyun shakes her head. “No, I’ll be sticking around for a while. I’ve accepted a position at the university here.”

“Good,” Seulgi smiles, reaching forward to grab onto Joohyun’s hands. She interlocks their fingers to pull the other closer.

Joohyun smiles brightly back. “Good.”


End file.
